This page has been prepared in an effort to provide information and direction to students who may be interested in the Accreditation and Assessment of Prior Learning Experience (AAPLE)/Credit for Life Experience Program at the Levin College of Urban Affairs. The program recognizes that learning takes place in settings other than the classroom. It is designed to allow adults with significant prior work experience to apply their learning towards an undergraduate degree in urban affairs. Students enrolled in the program may submit portfolios which qualify for 4 to 24 hours of credit.

The AAPLE process begins with a student enrolling in UST 190 Analysis of Experiential Learning in Urban Studies, a two-credit course. This class is offered in Fall and Spring semesters. The course provides the student with the understanding necessary to identify relevant prior learning and present evidence of competence in those areas. Portfolios developed in UST 190 are used as the basis for evaluation of credit. All portfolios must be submitted within one year of completion of UST 190. In rare cases extensions may be granted.

It is important that students be fully versed with the policies and procedures which underpin the program before they engage in any efforts in the direction of seeking credit through preparation of a portfolio. The steps outlined and the procedures indicated have been developed with the purpose of assuring that the Levin College’s approach to granting credit (as an outcome of assessment of non-collegiate, but college-level experiential learning) embodies the highest level of academic standards. Though this approach may impose rigorous efforts on the part of students and faculty assessors alike, it is believed that adherence to high and generally accepted standards serves all involved parties well.

The faculty and staff of the Department of Urban Studies, the College unit which is administratively responsible for the AAPLE Program, are ready to answer questions about this program and are willing to render assistance to students who choose to participate. Persons wishing more information and/or who wish to schedule an interview to discuss this program in person should contact the following:

Office of Student Services
Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs
Cleveland State University
Cleveland, Ohio  44115-2105
Telephone:  (216) 687-4506
Facsimile:  (216) 687-5398
M.hmada@csuohio.edu
http://urban.csuohio.edu

The following are procedures and frequently asked questions about the AAPLE Program:

Continuing Education is a vital part of professional and personal growth. The need to update professionally, retrain for new skills, and solve complex domestic and social problems requires a commitment to life-long learning. For individuals who wish to maintain an active contributing role in contemporary society, life-long learning brings work and study together into a unified, continuing educational process directed toward individual growth.

For many people the life-long learning process functions best when they utilize the resources of a university. These resources have long been available through traditional classroom-oriented studies. Now universities can also render assistance to learners by serving as a mechanism through which “life experiences” may be evaluated or “assessed” for the purpose of ascertaining the propriety of awarding academic credit for them. Two common methods are employed by colleges and universities to accomplish this service.

First, college credit for non-collegiate learning can be obtained by taking CLEP examinations. Information about CLEP examinations is available from the CSU Testing Center (216/687-2272).

The second method by which credit can be earned for non-collegiate, but college-level learning is a process known as “assessment of experiential learning”. At the Levin College this assessment takes place in the Assessment and Accreditation of Prior Learning Experience Program (AAPLE).

The basic idea underlying the assessment of experiential learning—or learning stemming from prior experience—for the possible award of academic credit is that what a person knows is more important than how he or she learned it. The university is not interested in having students spend time in classrooms and laboratories re-learning knowledge and skills that they already possess as a result of “life” or “non-collegiate” learning experiences. The term “life experience” should not be interpreted in an all-inclusive sense, but rather as denoting college-level learning—learning comparable to college courses acquired outside a college or university program.

Since years of experience do not in themselves indicate a level of learning, some procedure must be devised to appraise these learning outcomes. At Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs this is done by portfolio assessment.

While this program is not restricted to certain age groups, it is designed primarily to meet the needs of experienced adults. Younger persons are not likely to have the extensive and in-depth experience which might qualify for academic credit.

The formal, written communication from the student to the university in which credit for prior life experiences is requested is known as a portfolio.

• Portfolios are term-paper-like documents that also contain elements of a resume and detailed personal history.
• Only well-organized portfolios that present substantial evidence of college-level learning related to Urban Affairs majors can be considered.
• Portfolios will be considered only when the experiential learning presented addresses the Urban Affairs curriculum.
• A portfolio is to be prepared in relation to a specific concentration area in the Urban Affairs curriculum for which the student requests credit for experiential learning.

• At the Levin College, a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 24 credit hours may be earned through the AAPLE Program depending on the amount of experience and its relevance to a degree in Urban Affairs.

• Undergraduate students who are officially admitted to Cleveland State University and pursuing one of the College of Urban Affairs
  degrees are eligible to participate in the program.

• Graduate credit may not be earned through the AAPLE Program

Advantages to students of an assessment of life experience includes the following:

• The process can help to integrate life and work experience with other learning goals and educational programs.
• The process of assessment can facilitate improved self understanding of students’ real competencies and deficiencies.
• The assessment process becomes a valuable aid to better planning of future learning experiences—both formal and informal.
• Though preparation of a portfolio is an exacting and time-consuming challenge, it may— for some persons—mean time saved in reaching educational goals. Credits earned through assessment can reduce the total amount of time spent in classrooms needed to move students toward a degree or other academic objectives.
• Cost savings should be realized. The fees paid to have portfolios assessed will be less than tuition paid to earn the same number of credits.

The most prevalent kinds of experiences presented for assessment are:

• Work experiences—in business, in education, in the military, in human and health services or other organizational settings.
• Experiences gained through participation in non-credit courses, workshops, or seminars.
• Extensive and substantive experiences in community, volunteer, or service organizations.

Travel, hobbies, homemaking, and related experiences may be acceptable for evaluation only when clear and extensive evidence can
be provided to indicate that the learning outcomes are equivalent to college-level learning.

The following are some general criteria that may be used in selecting experiences which could lend themselves to portfolio assessment:

• The learning should be verifiable. Students should be able to demonstrate learning to an expert.
• The learning should be equivalent to that usually acquired in college-level courses.
• The learning should have a general applicability outside the specific situation in which it was acquired.
• The learning should be related to a specific Urban Affairs course content.  It is not customary for the College to entertain an award of credit where it does not offer course work.

The procedural steps to be followed by students in developing a portfolio are defined by the Department of Urban Studies as the following:

A. Students contact the Office of Student Services for preliminary information on how to initiate the portfolio assessment process.

B. Students applying for portfolio credit must be fully admitted to CSU.

C. Prior to enrollment in UST 190, the possibility of acquiring credit by portfolio must be explored with either the College’s Academic Advisor or the Manager of the AAPLE Program.  If the student is a viable candidate for portfolio credit, the Academic Advisor will his/her registration.

D. A preliminary draft of the portfolio to be assessed for credit is prepared while enrolled in a special Internet course entitled “Analysis of Experiential Learning in Urban Studies”.  Final portfolios may be written and evaluated up to one year after completing UST190 (a student may obtain an extension from the AAPLE Program Manager beyond this time period).

UST 190 is designed to allow students the freedom to complete course requirements via  home or office computer.

E. In UST 190 Internet course, students are guided through the process of preparing a portfolio equating the outcomes of life experiences to the outcomes of specific Urban Affairs courses or areas of concentration.  Upon completion of the course, students receive a grade for the course and two hours of credit earned. Students are entitled to follow-up review sessions with the AAPLE Program Manager before final submission of their portfolio.

F. Students meet with the College’s Undergraduate  Academic Advisor to determine the exact number of credits to be requested through portfolio  assessment.

G. Students present their completed portfolio to the AAPLE Program Manager and receive an assessment fee form to complete. 

H. Students pay a nonrefundable assessment fee, based on the number of credits to be awarded at the Office of Treasury Services, and present  the payment receipt and completed portfolio to the  AAPLE Program Manager.  These steps formally initiate the review process.

I. The AAPLE Program Manager reviews the document  and transmits the portfolio to a faculty assessor.   Students may be contacted at this point by faculty  members making the assessment of the portfolio for  the purpose of  arranging for a personal interview.  Faculty members have great latitude in defining what  actions students may be called upon to take in an  effort to make faculty assessors more confident in  their understanding of the students’ knowledge and  competencies.

J. The faculty assessors make their recommendation to the AAPLE Program Manager.

 K. Faculty members have the following options in  making a recommendation stemming from their  assessment of a portfolio:

a. Recommend awarding of full amount of  credit for the course(s)/concentration area  requested.
b. Recommends award of less credit than requested.
c. Recommend that the portfolio be returned to  the student for revision.
d. Recommends that no credit be granted.

 L. The AAPLE Program Manager notifies students of  the disposition of their request for credit by portfolio assessment.

M. The Levin College Office of Student Services notifies the Registrar of the appropriate credit to be granted and the credits are posted on students’ transcripts.  CREDITS WILL NOT POST TO STUDENTS’ TRANSCRIPTS UNTIL FEES ARE PAID IN FULL.  THE UNIVERSITY WILL NOT GRANT A DIPLOMA UNTIL ASSESSMENT FEES ARE PAID IN FULL.

The following kinds of information should be submitted in a binder with appropriate headings, introductions, and explanations.  (See sub-paragraph G “Portfolio Format”).

A. GENERAL FORMAT/TITLE PAGE

1. The concentration area and learning cluster areas for which credit is requested should be named on the title page, along with the name of the student, home phone  and work phone numbers, email address, and the date on which the portfolio was prepared.
2. A table of contents should indicate the nature and location of major pieces of information in the portfolio.

B. THE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL RESUME
An autobiographical resume is to be prepared for inclusion in the portfolio. The autobiographical resume should take the form of an annotated    resume, emphasizing those aspects in one’s life experience which relate most particularly to the concentration area for which the student seeks    credit. Biographical information should be presented in chronological format.  Elements which should be included are the following:

1. Name, address, and telephone number(s).

2. Work experiences

3. Educational experiences

a. It will be helpful to evaluators for the students to provide a total history of their educational background including elementary, high school, and college experiences.

b. All non-credit experiences that may have occurred in the context of a college or university should be reported.

c .Other, non-collegiate, educational and training experiences should also be reported.  These could include, but are not limited to those experiences students may have had in the military, in a business setting, while a member of a professional organization or society, or similar organizations.

4. Societal experiences
Students should indicate memberships  and participation in community organizations, political activities, work in volunteer organizations and similar experiences.

5. Special interests
Students should indicate any hobby and any vocational pursuits which might relate to the request for credit.

6. (Licenses, awards, professional recognitions or organizational affiliations should be reported.)  Some elaboration may be warranted if any of the foregoing are particularly relevant to the students’ request for credit.

7.Publications, reports, and exhibitions authored by the student should be carefully listed.  Facts of publication, or details regarding exhibitions or other forms of creative expression should be carefully documented.

C. COMPETENCY STATEMENT

In this section of the portfolio, students are expected to introduce/list those aspects of background and experience (introduced in the autobiographical section) which most closely relate to the concentration for which credit is being sought. The objective of this section is for students to present the skills, knowledge, and values learned through life experiences. It is recommended that the presentation in this section of the portfolio follow the following format:

1. Description of occupational/vocational/ professional competencies.

2. Description of interpersonal competencies. 

3. Problem-solving competencies.

4. Civic competencies.

D. NARRATIVE SECTION
In this section of the portfolio, students are expected to expand on competencies listed in the previous section. This is one of the most important sections, as students describe situations and circumstances in which skills were applied and  knowledge is utilized with some observable effects or impacts. Students should be sure to include for each competency area (vocational, interpersonal, etc.) the following information:

1. A list of activities in which students have participated and from which learning has resulted. (For example, the specific nature of the job experiences, training projects, and similar activities which contributed to their learning.)

2. An indication of the amount of time involved in each activity.

3. Information about where and under what circumstances these activities and experiences occurred.

4. A description of the student’s role in this activity (as observers, participants, leaders, subjects, etc.).

5. A description of how activities, roles or situations contributed to the competencies that students have asked to be evaluated.

6. A description of what was learned, including connections between real life learning and what is actually taught in the classroom. Students must not lose sight of the importance of citing relevant theory to substantiate the learning that has taken place. Students must show their ability to analyze what they have learned through the use of academic sources and cite them in the narrative section using the American  Psychological Association format (APA).

7. A Reference page at the end of the narrative section listing the sources in the APA format.

E. DOCUMENTATION FOR LEARNING
Providing documentation is a very important aspect of portfolio development. It is the students’ responsibility to provide evidence of what they know.

Any number of items could be considered as evidence of experiential learning and could constitute the documentation for students’ request for credit.  Possibilities include, but are not limited to the following:

1. Letters of testimony from current or previous supervisors or analogous persons who could attest to the quality of the student’s work, or about other experiences for which letters may comprise suitable evidence.  Such letters must address the relationship between the experience and the credit requested.

2. Job descriptions for positions held by the student and which are germane to the credit request.

3. Copies of performance appraisals or evaluations that relate to positions which are being offered as examples of situations where non-college learning was achieved.

4.Copies of any certificates connoting honors, awards, and special commendations where these documents are germane to the request for credit.

5. Copies of articles, reports, papers, clippings, work samples, or similar items which may support the request for credit (See Table 1).

6. A Documentation List precedes the copies of the documentation in the portfolio.

F. EDUCATION PLAN/GOALS STATEMENT

In two to three pages, applicants should write an original essay which describes the courses taken or will be taken to supplement the knowledge gained through prior learning and the educational and career outcomes expected from continuation in the Urban Affairs academic program. This section should demonstrate that the accredited experiential learning is not random, but bears direct relevance to the students’ studies at the Levin College of Urban Affairs. 

G. PORTFOLIO FORMAT

1. Students should endeavor to make the portfolio a visually attractive, well-organized, and professionally presented. Principles of visual organization should be followed in order to enhance the professionalism of the submission.

2. When deciding upon which materials and documents are to be included in the portfolio, students should be mindful that the faculty evaluator will need relevant supportive material.

a. Should it be desirable to include in the portfolio any documents which have personal or professional meaning for the applicant (and which are also germane to the request for credit), they should be photocopied and the photocopies, rather than the originals, should be enclosed.

Faculty members completing the assessment of a given portfolio may, at their option, interview students submitting portfolios for consideration.

1. Students should prepare for an interview as if it were an oral examination of their stated competencies in the area where credit has been requested.
   
2. Beyond the interview, the faculty members may require additional materials constituting documentation of the student’s claims.

A. The non-refundable fee paid to the university by  students prior to assessment of a portfolio is  contingent upon the number of credits sought.   At present, fees are $50.00 per credit hour. 

B. As noted above, fees are paid by students in the Office of Treasury Services when they formally register for this service. A budget payment plan can be arranged.  

A. Despite the non-traditional nature of gaining credit for life experience via the assessment of a portfolio, traditionally high university academic standards apply to this program. Earning credit through assessment of relevant life experiences should not be construed as being easier than traditional methods of earning college credit—it is just a different method of earning college credit.

B. When credit is granted as a result of a favorable portfolio assessment by faculty members, no grade is given. The portfolio course credits will be entered on the students’ permanent record as hours earned under the related Urban Affairs practicum course. There is no effect upon students’ cumulative grade point average. 

C. Not all colleges and universities will accept transfer credit earned by students through the process of assessment of experiential learning. If students contemplate transfer from the Levin College to another college or university where they would like credit earned through the portfolio assessment process to be applied to a degree, it would be in students’ best interest to inquire about the institution’s policies on transfer of credit when the credits are awarded through an assessment of prior learning experience.